Advertisement
New Zealand markets closed
  • NZX 50

    11,938.08
    +64.04 (+0.54%)
     
  • NZD/USD

    0.6012
    +0.0049 (+0.83%)
     
  • NZD/EUR

    0.5579
    +0.0023 (+0.42%)
     
  • ALL ORDS

    7,897.50
    +48.10 (+0.61%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,629.00
    +42.00 (+0.55%)
     
  • OIL

    77.99
    -0.96 (-1.22%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,310.10
    +0.50 (+0.02%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    17,890.79
    +349.25 (+1.99%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,213.49
    +41.34 (+0.51%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    38,675.68
    +450.02 (+1.18%)
     
  • DAX

    18,001.60
    +105.10 (+0.59%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    18,475.92
    +268.79 (+1.48%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    38,236.07
    -37.98 (-0.10%)
     
  • NZD/JPY

    91.9390
    +0.3640 (+0.40%)
     

Bio-Techne's (NASDAQ:TECH) investors will be pleased with their impressive 160% return over the last five years

When you buy shares in a company, it's worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose your money. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. For instance, the price of Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ:TECH) stock is up an impressive 153% over the last five years. The last week saw the share price soften some 1.3%.

Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns.

See our latest analysis for Bio-Techne

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

ADVERTISEMENT

During five years of share price growth, Bio-Techne achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 31% per year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 20% over the same period. So it seems the market isn't so enthusiastic about the stock these days.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

earnings-per-share-growth
earnings-per-share-growth

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Bio-Techne's TSR for the last 5 years was 160%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 19% in the twelve months, Bio-Techne shareholders did even worse, losing 32% (even including dividends). Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 21% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. It is all well and good that insiders have been buying shares, but we suggest you check here to see what price insiders were buying at.

Bio-Techne is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here